This Sand Crocodile Had to Be Fake-He Was So Weak!

"No need to say anything, just kill them!"

Crocodile recruited a group of desperados, all of whom displayed their most ferocious and ruthless expressions, yet they still showed their new boss ample respect, and none dared to act on their own.

"Boss, what do you think?"

"Looks like another hunter eyeing my bounty. Go and take care of him," Crocodile calmly ordered, his eyes narrowed.

"Hahaha, I understand!"

"Let's go! Finally, we're having some fun!"

Upon hearing the order, the group went wild, shouting excitedly and urging the camels to rush downwards.

One of them seemed to think the camel was too slow, so he jumped off the back of the camel into the air, spun around several times, and when he landed, he had transformed into a tall, strong, horned orc.

"Here it comes! Brother Ilan's Zoan Sheep-Sheep Fruit: Antelope Model!"

As soon as the man finished speaking, the half-goat bent his legs, his hard hooves digging into the sand. The next moment, with a sudden burst of power from his thick leg muscles, he leaped high into the air with a loud bang.

"I want this life!"

"Behold my Demonic Sheep Stomp— "

With wool covering its face, Ilan watched cruelly as its hooves swiftly stomped toward the white-clad man's forehead, its pupils flashing with crimson killing intent.

[Clang!!]

A massive, steel-hard ram's hoof, accompanied by a surging airflow, slammed down on a raised white index finger, instantly producing a deafening impact.

A surge of force erupted from the point of contact, compressing the air around the two into ripples like water, and the sand beneath them seemed to be dented several centimeters under Formless pressure.

"How... how is this possible?! Ahhhhh!"

A heart-wrenching wail erupted, startling the others who rushed in from behind into instinctively pulling back their camels. They stared in disbelief as blood-soaked bone spurs sprouted from the body of the man from Ilan, demonstrating in the blink of an eye what true cruelty was.

For a moment, everyone was stunned by the gruesome and bloody scene, but Crocodile's expression remained calm.

"Paramecia Fruit user. Hmm?"

[Pfft, pfft, pfft!]

Before he could finish speaking, another shocking event occurred. Below the group of people who had already rushed dozens of meters away, pale white longswords emerged from the sand and instantly pierced through the camel's belly and its rider.

More than a dozen people and camels fell to the ground dead before they could even scream. Warm blood flowed from the wound, staining the sand and gravel red.

[Call----]

Rafale swept across the sea of sand, swiftly passing between the man in white and Crocodile.

"This guy"

At this moment, Crocodile looked at the pale longswords floating in the air, dripping blood from time to time, and his expression became solemn.

He hadn't used his Observation Haki to sense the other person's presence before, because his two-year journey in 'Paradise' had made him less cautious, and he had become accustomed to easily defeating anyone.

But just now, his men had reminded him with their lives. However, when he clearly felt the immense and suffocating aura emanating from the man in white, he could no longer remain calm.

Who exactly are you?

Crocodile transformed into a cloud of sand and left the hunchback, appearing about fifty meters away from the man in white, his muscles tense, ready to strike at any moment.

[Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!]

But the man in white did not respond. Instead, thirteen pale white longswords shot out from the air, their speed far surpassing the Sound Explosion.

Fortunately, Crocodile's Observation Haki was prepared, and combined with his Logia elemental transformation ability, he managed to easily evade the barrage of sword attacks.

"Um?!"

The next second, a blurry white shadow flashed in his vision, Crocodile's expression changed drastically, and his right arm, which had been turned into a pile of sand, began to vibrate rapidly, making a buzzing sound.

"Crescent Sand Dune!"

The massive, crescent-shaped Sand Blade swept forward, colliding with the incoming white sword blade. However, the former couldn't even last a second; the sword light, swift as a white rainbow, sliced through the Sand Blade and struck the latter's chest.

Although he hurriedly transformed into his elemental form to try and disperse his body to avoid the sword, he was still a little too slow. When the yellowish-brown sand he had transformed into reassembled into human form after spreading out a distance of over a hundred meters, a long, bloody gash appeared on his chest.

"What a sharp knife!"

Crocodile clutched the wound on his chest, his face grim as he stared intently at the man in white, cold sweat beading on his forehead. As for calling a sword a knife, there was no need to dwell on that.

But in response to his words, the man in white stopped as if he were sizing him up, and suddenly spoke, saying, "So weak. How can your Haki be so weak?"

This person was none other than a CP0 member sent by the Five Elders, and not just any CP0 member, but one with the title of 'Aegis'.

Simply put, 'Aegis' is definitely CP0, but CP0 is not necessarily 'Aegis', and 'Aegis' signifies that it possesses strength comparable to Navy Admiral.

Normally, such a high-level force should not have been deployed to deal with Crocodile, who was only 22 years old. Normally, Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, or a few ordinary CP0 Admiral should have been sent.

However, because the business run by a certain supreme being was too large, the entire navy was so busy that there was no one left to send. They couldn't very well send the Fleet Admiral out of his way just for this 'little Sand Crocodile ', could they?

The situation is similar for CP0; they've basically sent out all their personnel.

Furthermore, considering that Crocodile fought to a draw with Bullet several times two years ago and even challenged Whitebeard, although he was defeated, his strength must be considerable, making him a worthy comparison to Bullet.

Bullet, though only 21 years old, is no longer someone that an ordinary Marine Vice Admiral or CP9 officer could handle.

Furthermore, Crocodile has arrived in Alabasta, so it's even more impractical to deploy a large number of warships to encircle and suppress him. Therefore, it's necessary to find a force capable of overwhelming Bullet to capture him.

This was the result of previous internal discussions within CP0, therefore, it was decided that he, one of the two Aegis, would take action!

The problem is that, after the initial exchange, Crocodile's Armament Haki was too weak, almost like that of a novice who had only recently mastered Haki.

To be honest, if it's just a Logia user who has only just learned Haki and hasn't Awakening it yet, any experienced Marine Vice Admiral would be enough.

But something's not right. How could Crocodile be so weak?

Although this kid isn't very old, his height of 2.5 meters shows that he has extraordinary talent. You can't use ordinary people as the standard. His four or five years are enough to be equivalent to most people's ten or more years.

The white-clad man's eyes, hidden behind his mask, were filled with doubt. He looked at the guy in front of him and wondered if he had encountered a fake 'Sand Crocodile'.

Crocodile was Wrath to hear this guy underestimate him, but he wasn't the type to get angry easily. He also realized that his Haki had inexplicably weakened, which made him even more shocked and angry.

"Why, why is my Haki gone?"

What happened to my Haki?

This was the very question Crocodile pondered while sitting cross-legged in boiling water, and it was also the question he had been struggling with all the way after his defeat by CP0.

He's basically the same person he was two years ago, when he had just set sail. He hasn't really trained much in the last two years, so it's not surprising that his strength hasn't improved, but it shouldn't have declined, especially not so drastically!

"It's time, Crocodile, come out and get dressed."

At that moment, a prison guard outside the pot shouted something to him nervously.

He didn't know why he was nervous. The other person was clearly handcuffed with Seastone Handcuffs, their shadow had been cut off, and they were wearing a pet collar around their neck—it seemed impossible for them to resist.

This book will prioritize depicting the more complete setting two years after the events of the original work. For example, Smoker, who was a Marine Headquarters Captain two years ago, did not Haki, while Tashigi is also a Marine Headquarters Captain two years later, does. Therefore, I will follow the setting that Marine Headquarters Colonel Captains will all Haki. Also, the top members of CP9 will definitely Haki, like Stussy.